Muck Rack on LinkedIn: 2024 will be a big year for nonprofit local newsrooms, according to… (2024)

In the final days of 2023, The Land is looking back at our top stories from this year. Follow along this week as we share our 23 most-read stories of 2023. We’ll have more community-centered reporting in 2024 — share your thoughts, questions, and ideas with us here:https://lnkd.in/g5HUtjb9 #theland #thelandcle #thelandcleveland #cleveland #cle #clevelandneighborhoods #topstories #topstoriesof2023 #topstoryrecap #topstoriesof2023recap #communitycenteredreporting #communityjournalism #clevelandcommunityjournalism #communityjournalismcleveland #communitynews #clevelandcommunitynews #thelandcommunityjournalism #localjournalism #supportlocaljournalism #localnews #supportlocalnews

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Today, I reflect with a heavy heart on the closure of the two community newspapers where I once cut my teeth as a young journalist. Both have now gone out of business and ceased reporting. That makes my heart so heavy.Community newspapers are integral threads in the fabric of our community, vital for keeping residents informed, engaged, and connected. The loss of local journalism is a growing crisis that threatens the foundation of informed citizenship. Local newspapers hold local leaders accountable and provide a voice for those who might otherwise go unheard. Without them, we risk creating news deserts that leave communities uninformed and disconnected.This trend underscores a broader challenge: the need to find sustainable models to keep local journalism alive. The health of our democracy depends on our ability to stay informed about our local governments and community issues.I urge everyone to consider the role local journalism plays in our lives and what can be done to support its survival, whether it’s subscribing to a local paper, donating to a nonprofit news organization, or simply advocating for the value of local journalism in our communities. We need to save local journalism.

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A key aspect of community engagement centers on people being able to access information easily and efficiently via local news platforms.Recent research out of Northwestern's State of Local News Project provides a county-by-county snapshot of media outlets across the nation showing how levels of affluence affect access to local journalism.Checked my own experience on this map to see how it tracked — when I worked as a fulltime journalism teacher in uber-affluent Silicon Valley (median 2022 household income, per U.S. census report = ~ $153,000), my immediate surrounding county (Santa Clara county) shows 23 local news outlets. Compare that to my current home of Winnebago County in Illinois (median 2022 household income, per U.S. census report = ~ $61,000): 8 news outlets — primarily broadcast, but also a legacy newspaper a step away from extinction.In the short term, agree that philanthropy may be the necessary stop-gap support required to sustain the "fire line" to slow loss and attrition of local news outlets and help keep local journalism alive, while we collectively figure out a better, sustainable economic model for journalism in years ahead

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#A #national #coalition #of #donors #catalyzes #local #news #and #information #for #stronger #communities."A coalition of 22 donors today announced #Press #Forward, a #national #initiative to strengthen communities and democracy by #supporting #local #news and information with an infusion of more than #half-#billion #dollars #over the next #five #years. Press Forward will enhance local journalism at an unprecedented level to re-center local news as a force for community cohesion; support new models and solutions that are ready to scale; and close longstanding inequities in journalism coverage and practice."

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Local journalism is critical because it brings attention to the diversity of stories from your neighborhood and validates your experiences. We aim to be #Akron’s source for community reporting. Be the first to know when we’re live so you can get behind-the-scenes updates. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gMVkgKEU #AkronNews #LocalNews #NonprofitNews

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Fascinating presentation by Steven Waldman at the University of Nevada Reynolds School of Journalism Scripps Dinner re: the urgent need to rebuild local news.Since 2011, there are 60% fewer full time reporters in the US, and thousands of publishers have gone out of business, leaving ever widening news deserts in their wake. Today, half of the daily newspaper circulation in America are owned by hedge funds or private equity firms.The dramatic demise of local news outlets has wide-ranging effects on communities: Less civic engagement by residents, leading to more local corruption and increased polarization. Decreases in local investment, and even increased pollution. A combination of policy, philanthropy and innovation are helping to fill the local news void. There's a lot of work that needs to be done...and it's vital to the health and well-being of communities across our fruited plains. For more information, follow Steven Waldman here: https://lnkd.in/dhDWhqzz#journalism #news #localnews #reporting #democracy

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This initiative couldn't come at a more crucial time.Investing in resources that reshape our media landscape and strengthen its role in society is vital. The sustainability of local news depends on evolving newsrooms, community support, and policy change for equitable access to trusted news and civic information. Press Forward will hopefully go a long way in supporting a local news renaissance.#localnews #journalists #journalism #journalismmatters https://lnkd.in/eiyw_FXr

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The Latest: A group of 22 foundations have launched Press Forward, a national initiative promising more than $500 million over five years to help revitalize our country’s local news ecosystem and strengthen the civic ties within our communities."Press Forward will enhance local journalism at an unprecedented level to re-center local news as a force for community cohesion; support new models and solutions that are ready to scale; and close longstanding inequities in journalism coverage and practice."Read more at MacArthur Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gCdJNseu#Press #LocalNews #Journalism #Donors #Community #RebuildLocalNews

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Please please read this story linked below.I am so happy to see more mainstream news coverage of the news industry itself in decline. This is very difficult work for journalists to write stories about their own industry, it is incredibly counterintuitive for a traditionally trained journalist to report essentially on themselves. Most journalism classes teach reporters that they are “not the story”…. But this time, we are.It is my sincere hope that corporations across industries, celebrities, politicians, and anyone with money, power, and influence, take on journalism as their nonprofit cause for 2024… That companies and influential people outside of news will take notice, and see what is happening in local newsrooms nationwide, and decide to do something about it. And if you’re just a regular ‘ol normie — what can you do to help? Here are some ideas:1. Subscribe and donate to your local news outlet. Even if it’s not that good…. It sounds awful but I think many people know what I mean. Local newsrooms have so many challenges financially that local news coverage and quality has suffered. I see it every day. They need money, and support, you can help.2. Engage with your local news outlet. Send story ideas! Give feedback! Write opinion pieces, letters to the editor. Volunteer to work with them. Engage in any way that works for you. 3. If you work for a corporation, discuss creating donation match programs for your local news outlet. 4. If you own a local business, offer discounts for your goods and services to local journalists — many restaurants offer firefighters and teachers discounts on meals. Extend those offers to working journalists.5. Sounds dumb but — JUST READ YOUR LOCAL NEWS! Or watch it. And not on social media, but on their websites, tv newscasts, download their apps, subscribe to their newsletters. And if you don’t like it, tell them why! And to all the people with power and influence who want to make a significant impact on the local news industry — let’s talk, I can help. We need more people drawing attention to this horrible situation. I’m a third generation journalist and I want to be able to tell me kids when they get older about how amazing a career in journalism can be — not how sad and horrible it is and not to do it 😩.Want to help? Share this post and my DMs are open. It’s time to build a proper awareness campaign around this problem that every single person will suffer from if the tide doesn’t turn.#journalism #news #democracy #localnews #journalismmatters

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What's the best collaborative blog hosting site? I've just acquired https://Firebrands.Watch which very much in construction, probably change to a sign-in forum site like Wix, unless some bloggers can suggest an equally easy and cheap solution. Writing an app for this is also a possibility if someone wishes to collaborate. As a free site for those firebrands to publish real investigative reporting. Who would be interested in forming a 501c non-profit organization to publish independent investigative reporters? Bringing back the real free press that existed before Reagans' UnConstitutional Bull Media Monopoly? Particularly hosting site in say Switzerland?